Max Stirner Birthday Highlights

Birth Name Johann Kaspar Schmidt

Place Of Birth Bayreuth, Germany Age 217 years old

Birth Date October 24 1806

Max Stirner Facts

Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher Education & Qualifications Erlangen University

Parents Sophia Elenora Reinlein, Albert Christian Heinrich Schmidt

About Max Stirner Max Stirner, born Johann Kaspar Schmidt, was a German theorist and social commentator, best remembered for his disputed and impactful work, ‘The Ego And Its Own’, in 1844.The 19th-century philosopher was the forerunner of anarchist thinkers. He was a powerful advocate of individualist anarchism and influenced the growth of the socialist concepts of  Friedrich Nietzsche and nihilism.  In ‘The Ego And Its Own’, Max Stirner explains his philosophy that reflects the consequences of people’s submission to a universal or ultimate concept such as heaven, a code of ethics, or a political ideology for getting the accompanying benefits. The ego-centric and sensible individual is expected to do anything or use anyone to attain their goals. People use their freedom without moral constraints or apprehensions, which is the core of their individualistic moral world. Hegel, the teacher of Max Stirner, greatly influenced his views on the history of religion, philosophy, and the human spirit. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, in their text, ‘The German Ideology’, strongly criticized the views of Max Stirner. They mockingly refer to  Stirner as ‘Sankt Max’ (Saint Max).Born in Bayreuth, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Germany, Stirner was just a year old when his father died of TB. The life of the German philosopher was marked by social seclusion and financial insecurity since 1847. Stirner contracted a nervous fever after an insect bite in May 1856 and died on June 25, 1856, after a temporary recovery.Keep reading to learn more about the life and career of philosopher, Max Stirner.Max Stirner’s Net Worth, Earnings & Spending HabitsWhat was Max Stirner’s net worth?Max Stirner’s net worth is unknown. He spent the last years of his life in financial difficulty.Height, Age & Physical AttributesHow old was Max Stirner?The German philosopher, Max Stirner, was born on October 25, 1806, in Bayreuth, Germany. He died on June 25, 1856, in Berlin, Germany, at the age of 49.Childhood And EducationBayreuth, Bavaria, Germany, was the birthplace of Max Stirner. His father was Albert Christian Heinrich Schmidt and mother was Sophia Elenora Reinlein. Max was the only child of his parents.At 20 years old, Max Stirner enrolled at Berlin University to study Philology. Stirner then joined the Erlangen University. He returned to Berlin to do a teaching course.Family, Romance, And RelationshipsWho was Max Stirner’s partner?Max Stirner had two marriages. Agnes Burtz, his first wife, was his landlady’s daughter and they married in 1837. Agnes Burtz died in 1838. Later he married an intellectual, Marie Dähnhardt, in 1843.Personal Life Of Max Stirner’Stirner’ was his nickname because his broad forehead appeared larger since he combed back his hair. Later he adopted the name ‘Max Stirner’ as a moniker for his writing work.Agnes Burtz, the first wife of the German philosopher, died in 1838 during childbirth. Six years later, he married Marie Dähnhardt. The venue of their marriage was an apartment of Stirner’s and the partners were notable for their informal wedding outfits. They exchanged copper rings in the absence of wedding bands. They had to scour the entire locality for a Bible because they had none. Stirner used Marie’s money to build a milk shop that collected milk from dairy producers to sell to the city people. However, he could not get adequate buyers, which was essential to maintain the operation.Career And Professional HighlightsBest Known For…The teachings of Friedrich Hegel at Berlin University had a major influence on Max Stirner. He believed that philosophy does not attach to art or religion. Stirner held that social stratification, the government, the public, and humanism were illusions that should not be taken at face value. He theorized a definite, realistic ego considering it the driving factor behind all human actions.While working as a teacher at the young girls’ school of Madame Gropius, he penned his famous book, ‘The Ego And Its Own’, alternatively dubbed, ‘The Unique And Its Property’. Anticipating the uproar the book might cause after publication, he quit his school job in 1844. This book presents an indictment of church and conventional morality and criticism of utilitarianism, humanism, and capitalism. He opposed private property and the mushroomed idea of collective ownership. He advocates an alternatively unprincipled egoism. It impacted the growth of existentialists, anarchists, postmodernists, nihilists, and psychoanalytic theory supporters.  The German philosopher believed that only the human ego could claim authority legitimately. The government, in whichever shape or order, is fundamentally unjust and aggressive. Furthermore, Stirner found the ethics, church, and humanism of Feuerbach dead and scary. He opined that they create the hallucination of individual freedom while controlling humans and suppressing individualism. These restraints, as well as the state, must be abolished for people to achieve their self-interest. In his book, Stirner cherished individual self-rule beyond everything and defined it rigidly and distinctively. Stirner believed people should aspire for and rely on self-assertion, self-identity, and sovereignty. Individuals must establish and respect their self-assertion, which is the essence of our very existence and is under our control. Even while enslaved, we can express our independence by utilizing even the most challenging events to our advantage. Their self-consciousness protects them from making the mistake of allowing the state to seize what is rightfully theirs.The German philosopher’s ideas on humanity, self-will, state, and politics influenced the 19th and 20th-century nihilist and anarchist thinkers.Other Interesting Max Stirner Facts And TriviaStirner belonged to the circle of German scholars known as Die Freien, later called Young Hegelians.Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Soul Of Man Under Socialism’ has made historians think that he may have been familiar with Stirner’s book ‘The Ego And Its Own’, which many famous intellectuals have also read.Editorial credit: BlackGoat / Shutterstock.com

Max Stirner Birthday Highlights

Birth Name Johann Kaspar Schmidt

Place Of Birth Bayreuth, Germany Age 217 years old

Birth Date October 24 1806

Max Stirner Facts

Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher Education & Qualifications Erlangen University

Parents Sophia Elenora Reinlein, Albert Christian Heinrich Schmidt

Max Stirner, born Johann Kaspar Schmidt, was a German theorist and social commentator, best remembered for his disputed and impactful work, ‘The Ego And Its Own’, in 1844.

Max Stirner Birthday Highlights

Birth Name Johann Kaspar Schmidt

Place Of Birth Bayreuth, Germany Age 217 years old

Birth Date October 24 1806

Max Stirner Birthday Highlights

Birth Name Johann Kaspar Schmidt

Place Of Birth Bayreuth, Germany Age 217 years old

Birth Date October 24 1806

Birth Name Johann Kaspar Schmidt

Place Of Birth Bayreuth, Germany Age 217 years old

Birth Date October 24 1806

Birth Name Johann Kaspar Schmidt

Place Of Birth Bayreuth, Germany Age 217 years old

Birth Date October 24 1806

Max Stirner Facts

Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher Education & Qualifications Erlangen University

Parents Sophia Elenora Reinlein, Albert Christian Heinrich Schmidt

Max Stirner Facts

Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher Education & Qualifications Erlangen University

Parents Sophia Elenora Reinlein, Albert Christian Heinrich Schmidt

Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher Education & Qualifications Erlangen University

Parents Sophia Elenora Reinlein, Albert Christian Heinrich Schmidt

Child Star? no Occupation Philosopher Education & Qualifications Erlangen University

Parents Sophia Elenora Reinlein, Albert Christian Heinrich Schmidt